After years of waiting and an unfortunate leak in 2022 that confirmed the existence of Grand Theft Auto VI, Sam Houser of Rockstar Games announced on X that a trailer would be released in December to coincide with the 25th anniversary of Grand Theft Auto—an announcement of an announcement.
In the massive leak, there were game clips, game code, assets and other pieces of information that confirmed some of the previous details that would make it into GTA VI.
The following was confirmed in the leak. But knowing Rockstar and given how much was cut from GTA V, it’s possible some of these things might not make the final release.
- Set in Miami, aka Vice City.
- Two protagonists. A male and a Latino female. Confirming the existence of a Bonnie and Clyde-esque storyline of two bank robbers
- New lighting system similar to the one in Red Dead Redemption 2
- Money laundering and bank robbery mechanics
- A more realistic living world, including raccoons going through your garbage
- Dogs with rabies
- Bigfoot
- Alligators that will attack other animals and humans
- Increased map density with more things to do inside buildings. Bingo halls, massage parlours and, most excitingly, malls. If you can have a shootout or rob malls, that’s going to really make a more fun dynamic
- All cash-based businesses can be robbed
- There are a lot of activities and events:
- Backyard wrestling ring
- Fishing (including bait and tackle shops)
- Mini Golf
- Basketball
- Drag racing
Interestingly, in the announcement, the forthcoming game wasn’t referred to as GTA 6 but as “the next Grand Theft Auto”. This might suggest it has a different title entirely. Perhaps GTA: Vice City II instead of GTA VI.
Based on leaks and other released information, it seems the next GTA will possibly feature a growing world with multiple cities connected by a transportation network, aiming for a more immersive experience. However, the scope of the next GTA title was allegedly scaled back due to reports of crunch and staff departures.
One feature I’ve always wanted to see in GTA is the ability to go to an airport and fly somewhere. Line up, hand over luggage and go through customs to fly. I’m not sure if we’ll get back in GTA VI, but it would be a nice touch and also align with the rumour there will be multiple airports in the game.
While the exact look of the next GTA is unknown, we can gain insights from Red Dead Redemption 2. Even though this game is now five years old, its technically impressive features, particularly the weather system, provide a glimpse into what might be expected.
Red Dead Redemption 2 has one of the best NPC systems of any game, and it makes sense that something similar will appear in GTA 6, possibly an improved version. In RDR 2, NPCs will react based on your actions and appearance. In GTA V, NPCs fill space, but you can’t really interact with them, and they seemingly just go about their lives like you’re not there.
The functional ecosystem features are another feature we will undoubtedly see in GTA VI. In RDR 2, animals attack and hunt each other, and corpses decompose. It makes sense that we would see this in GTA 6, given that the same engine as RDR 2 will possibly be used.
Until we get the trailer in December 2023 and other details, much of this is still up for speculation and could be cut, changed or different at release.
